Anytime Kiddo
by Neellok
Summary: "Darcy! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Tony exclaimed, tightening his grip on her bare shoulder. He pulled her closer to him, protectively, as he glared at the guy that hadn't left her alone for the past ten minutes.


Title: Anytime, Kiddo

Pairing: Tony and Darcy

Summary: "Darcy! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Tony exclaimed, tightening his grip on her bare shoulder. He pulled her closer to him, protectively, as he glared at the guy that hadn't left her alone for the past ten minutes.

Darcy stared at the reporter in front of her with a mixture of annoyance and boredom. Why had she agreed to attend this stupid charity function? Okay, so the function wasn't totally stupid because it did help raise money for a good cause. Something about saving puppies… or had it been whales? Anyway, she hadn't really been listening to the first speaker. His voice had been monotone and he'd looked like a penguin about to choke on a fish—all black and white, with a bright red face.

Huh. Maybe they were trying to save the penguins and he'd come to talk on behalf of his species… She glanced down at the drink in her hand with suspicion. Or maybe she'd had a bit too much to drink, and should lay off the martinis and olives. Darcy looked around to see if there was a place to set it down, and maybe find someone to help her come up with a random, crazy, but entirely believable idea to get away from the dirtbag that was 'subtly' trying to get information about the Avengers from her.

She sighed as the man didn't let up with his questions, even though she'd already told him to piss off, albeit more politely…well… at least in a more polite tone. Wouldn't her mom be so proud of her? She was actually using her manners! Rolling her eyes Darcy tossed back the rest of the drink, and almost choked on one of the olives when a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders.

What? Darcy thought this was a charity event, not a grabby party. Her shoulders bunched, muscles tightening as she turned to yell at the guy who thought she was an easy pick up. She may have been a bit tipsy, but Darcy wasn't a drunk floozy that would throw herself at someone because they were rich or good looking. They had to be able to think for themselves and have a personality. And sadly, that eliminated almost everyone on the guest list. She'd checked.

She paused when she noticed it was Tony Stark. Darcy wondered what he was doing over here, but quickly dismissed the thought. Why did Tony do anything? Because he wanted to. She'd learned a long time ago to stop questioning his motives and just take him as he was. It wasn't always easy, but Darcy was used to it.

"Darcy! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Tony exclaimed, tightening his grip on her bare shoulder. He pulled her closer to him, protectively, as he glared at the guy that hadn't left her alone for the past ten minutes.

She squeaked and almost dropped her martini glass as her arm bumped into him. Darcy took a deep breath to calm her scattered nerves. She didn't like it when random people touched her, not that Tony was random, but most of the time she couldn't guess what he would do next and that would make her nervous sometimes. Though he had never done anything to hurt her, and Darcy knew Tony never would.

"I was here the whole time, Tony, trying to get away from Hoover here," Darcy said.

Tony nodded, and turned his attention back to the reporter that had a recorder shoved in their direction. His gaze narrowed at the silver device. "Is there a reason why you're harassing my daughter, or do you just like being a jerk?"

Darcy's eyes widened. What had he said? Daughter? Okay, so she could legitimately be Tony's daughter… he was old enough. Um, not that he was old, old. Just mature. Yeah, Darcy liked the sound of that. Tony would never be old; he was too vibrant to ever be classified as old. But she certainly hadn't expected him to say something like that! He could have just threatened the guy, or even claimed they were dating… except eww! She liked Tony, but yeah, she'd never date him.

Though Darcy knew that he loved saying whatever came to his mind (not that Tony didn't think about things, because he totally did; he was a genius, after all), but she knew he loved making the public squirm, and the press pant after what he'd do next. Darcy knew Tony'd calmed down a bit since he'd joined the Avengers, but he still loved making a public display wherever he went. Steve and Fury thought it was annoying. Darcy thought he was charming. It was his personality… why should he change it to please others? She snorted. People were stupid.

"Your daughter?" the reporter asked, hunger gleaming in his eyes.

Darcy wanted to take a step back. He looked as if he'd eat her. "Are you deaf as well as stupid?" she demanded, leaning into Tony.

If Tony wanted to screw with the general public, well… who was she to deny him? She'd always loved a good prank. A smile curled her lips, drawing attention to her beauty and the similarities between her and Tony. Personally, she didn't think she looked much like Tony. While her hair was a dark brown, his was a far richer color. And though their eyes were about the same chocolate brown, they weren't the same shape. Darcy internally shrugged. Oh well. Most people just looked at the superficial. After all, everyone with brown hair and brown eyes were related, right?

"Is Darcy the reason that you are no longer engaged to Pepper Potts?" the reporter asked.

Darcy felt Tony's minute flinch and scowled. How dare the jerk bring that up! She knew that Tony was in love with Pepper. Heck, everyone in the tower knew, because they'd been the ones to help him through the depression that had followed her departure.

Darcy wanted barge into Stark Industries and ring Pepper's neck for hurting Tony, but she knew it'd only hurt Tony. In the end, she'd just tasered some dummies in the gym for a few hours. Hmm… maybe Tony wouldn't mind if Darcy tasered Pepper… just a little bit. After all, Thor had survived and he'd been mortal at the time. She resolved to bring it up next time she was pissed off and wanted vengeance.

"The relationship between my _father_ and Pepper Potts is none of your business, Hoover"—she ignored the reporter's attempts to tell her his real name—"and if you don't leave us alone right now, I'll do what I should have done when you approached me." She pulled out her taser, ignored the incredulous looks she got from Tony and Hoover, and smiled widely. "Want to chance your luck, Bucko?"

She giggled as he turned pale and left as fast as he could in the crowded room. She glanced up at Tony and grinned at his face, which was frozen between amusement and shock. Tony shook his head and stared down at her, a small smile on his face.

"Should I even ask?" He nodded toward the taser in her hand.

She shook her head. "I'll never tell!" Darcy declared. She turned away from him for a few seconds before turning back sans taser. "Hey, did I ever tell you I love this dress?" she asked, threading her arm through his. "Because this dress is awesome!"

Tony laughed as he led her over toward the circle of Avengers. "I'm honored you like my humble present," he stated, placing a hand dramatically over his heart.

Darcy snorted. "Humble my butt. This had to have cost a few thousand."

Tony just grinned and didn't comment.

Darcy nodded and glanced down at her empty martini glass. Hmm. Did she really want another? She normally got drunk after four, and this was her second. Her decision was taken from her when Tony grabbed the glass from her hand and placed it on a tray of other drinks that a waiter was carrying.

"I think you've had enough, young lady," Tony said, not completely serious but not altogether joking either.

"Whatever you say, _Dad_," Darcy quipped, ignoring the warm feeling that had coursed through her. When had been the last time someone had cared to look out for her? A lump of feelings rose in her throat, as tears pricked her eyes. She quickly blinked a few times, pushing the tears back. She looked and felt beautiful tonight. She wasn't going to mess up her make-up just because Tony stole her stupid martini.

Her mom. She hadn't felt this way since her mom. Darcy almost stopped in surprise, making her take a weird stumble step, and knock into Tony.

"Are you okay?" Tony asked, concerned.

Darcy gave a watery chuckle. "Yeah. I think I've just had a bit too much to drink." She was glad when Tony didn't comment on the fact she'd only had two drinks. "Thanks for rescuing me, Tony."

Tony grinned at her, happiness softening his eyes. "Anytime, kiddo, anytime."

—X—

Darcy stared at herself in the mirror, tracing over her features with a practiced eye to pick out her faults and imperfections. Had it really been that long? She sighed, turned away, and growled in frustration. Was she really that bothered by Tony and what he'd said? She knew he'd meant it as a joke; of course it was a joke. Who'd ever want Darcy as their daughter? After all, her own father hadn't. He'd up and left as soon as her mom had broken the news that she was preggers.

It hadn't been her mom's fault that her father had been a loser who couldn't handle responsibilities and didn't want Darcy. But there had been many times when Darcy had wondered if he would have stayed if her mom had never been knocked up. Darcy rejected that idea quickly, not wanting to give into the years of loneliness that had only added to those ideas of 'what if' and 'maybe'.

After taking a scalding hot shower (just the way she liked it), she pulled on her Batman pjs and climbed into bed. She wasn't sure what to expect tomorrow. Scratch that. Darcy knew that Hoover would run the article about Darcy being Tony's daughter… but she didn't know what would happen after, and right now, she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

—X—

Groaning at the light that was coming through her curtains, she cursed and rolled over, trying to block it out so she could go back to sleep. She hated getting up early, always had and probably always would. She pulled her pillow out from under her head and smushed it against her face, as if that would make a difference and the sun would stop rising in the sky.

Hm… Maybe she could convince Tony to make a machine that would freeze the sun in specific positions while she slept so she coul—she snorted at her hazy thoughts. Riiight. No more alcohol.

She lay in bed for another half an hour before lazily dragging herself out of bed. "Jarvis, what time is it?"

"It is approximately 8:15 a.m., Miss Darcy. Would you like the day's forecast?"

"Nah, that's okay."

Running a hand through her hair, Darcy winced when her fingers got caught in a knot. Dang! She hadn't brushed her hair last night. Or her teeth, now that she thought about it. Oh well. Her mind still a little fuzzy, she went about her morning routine, making sure she did everything she'd forgotten to do the night before. Dressing in her favorite pair of black jeans and a red sweater, Darcy pulled her hair into a messy bun and headed to the kitchen.

Darcy knew all of the others would be up and eating breakfast, with maybe the exception of Tony. It depended on if he'd gone to bed last night or was still in his lab. She frowned at the thought, before resolving to go down there and drag his butt out so he could rest and eat. No one could survive on coffee alone, though at one point Darcy had tried. In her defense, it had been in college and she'd been poor. Coffee had been an excellent substitute for food and rest.

Darcy glanced around the kitchen and nodded to Bruce and Steve as she walked toward the coffee pot. She sighed in relief when she noticed there was just enough for one more cup. Pouring herself the rest, she grabbed a bowl of Marshmallow Mateys: her favorite cereal. So she loved marshmallows for breakfast… so what? Marshmallows were food. If Darcy had her way, they'd be their own food group. She needed the sugar. No really, she did. She couldn't think without it.

Munching on her cereal, it took her a few minutes to notice the absolute silence. Darcy glanced up in confusion. Normally Bruce would be talking a mile a minute about some new experiment Tony and him had been working on. Clint would then ask when they'd start making him specialized arrows, and Steve would try to make Clint apologize for assuming that they'd make him new weapons, Natasha would be drinking her tea, and Thor would be eating a huge stack of pancakes, or French toast, or whatever else he could fit in his huge mouth all at once.

Darcy swallowed around the sugary food, and milk. "What?"

Clint stared at her, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you really—?"

"Coffee!" Tony croaked, stumbling into the kitchen. His hair stood up in places, and his clothes were wrinkled and stained with what looked like oil. When he finally made it across the room, he stared at the empty coffee pot with disbelief and confusion. "Coffee?"

Darcy bit her lip to keep from laughing. She normally hated comparing someone to a puppy, because she thought all puppies where little devils. They chewed shoes and peed on the floor, and no matter how fluffy they were, she'd never be taken in by their cuteness and be deceived! But that didn't stop the image of Tony as a confused puppy from popping into her mind. He looked as if someone had stolen his favorite ball, or shoe, and couldn't understand why.

Darcy knew that Tony had been up all night. She could tell by the dark circles under his eyes and because he was still in the same suit he'd worn last night. He hadn't even bothered to change into his normal jeans and t-shirt. Darcy glanced at the cup of coffee that she hadn't finished and debated for a few seconds before sighing and getting up. Darcy held the cup out to Tony and only had to wait a few seconds before he noticed the smell. She smiled when the cup was quickly snatched out of her hand.

Going back to the table, she continued to eat her yummy breakfast, only to startle when a half filled mug of coffee was placed near her elbow. Darcy's brows furrowed and she looked up at Tony in confusion. Why was he giving it back? She knew how much he loved his coffee.

"Thanks, kiddo, but it's yours," Tony said, plopping into the chair next to hers.

She shrugged, took a gulp, and finished her cereal. If he didn't want it, she wasn't going to waste it. "Want me to make a new pot?"

Tony lifted his head from the table and stared at her, with a smile on his face. "Nah. I should probably just—"

"Go to bed?" Darcy cut him off, and dragged him to his feet. "That's a great idea."

Steve made a small choking noise, drawing Tony's and Darcy's attention. They both stared at him and glanced at each other. What was his problem? It wasn't like she'd propositioned him or anything.

"It's true then?" Steve asked.

Darcy stared at him, mind blank. What was he—Oh! Riiight. Hoover. "Did Hoover print it then? What's it say?" she asked, leaning over the table to squint at the paper.

"Hoover?" Clint asked. "Why would the FBI print a story about you being Tony's daughter?"

Darcy smirked. "He's not from the FBI, he's from the ASR."

Tony laughed. "Annoying Schmuck Reporters?"

Darcy nodded, pleased that he'd guessed correctly. She loved it when Tony just understood her. She glanced at the article and noticed the picture that was near the end. "Yup. It was Hoover."

Bruce glanced back and forth between Tony and Darcy. "Okay, obviously I missed something."

Darcy nodded. "Okay, here's the gist. Hoover—meaning dirtbag who sucks—kept harassing me last night. Tony graciously came to my rescue. End of story."

Darcy didn't want to tell them how Tony'd called her his daughter. She wasn't ashamed of him, but she knew without a doubt that if she told them, they'd laugh. They'd make a joke—harmless to them—but it would cut him. And Darcy knew he'd been cut enough. Tony had been cut open three times (Yinsen. Stane. Pepper.), and she'd do anything to make sure he wasn't hurt again.

When she'd first been asked to move in to Avengers Tower, Darcy had hacked into SHIELD and gotten everything she could on Tony. She'd gotten screwed over enough times and Darcy wanted to make sure that she wasn't making yet another bad decision. At first, she hadn't been sure how to act around him, after she'd read his file, but Darcy eventually just ignored most of it. Yes, his life sucked, but she wasn't going to pity the man.

One: he wouldn't have allowed it from anyone, especially from Darcy. Two: those things didn't make him weak. Some people saw him as weak, or broken. But they were wrong. He was Tony Stark and no matter what he'd build himself back up from nothing, just because he could and because he wanted to prove to the world that he was better than them—because he was.

Tony glanced at her, and nodded as if he'd read her mind, gratitude flashing through his eyes. He loudly declared that he was going to bed and to not wake him unless the world was burning to ashes around him.

Left alone with the other Avengers, she smirked at the questions that were thrown her way by Clint and, surprisingly, Steve. She knew they were curious, especially because of Tony's reaction. There was no way that that had been the whole story, but Darcy didn't give a crap. What Tony and she had was personal, and it would stay that way. She took her dishes to the sink, and returned to her room, thoughts whirling.

—X—

Darcy hadn't noticed when Tony and she had begun to hang out more often. In the beginning, she hadn't even noticed a difference. While Tony and her hadn't been attached at the hip, they had still spent time together. Whether it was testing out a new line of tasers or watching movies. They'd always hung out at least three times a month.

It had taken Bruce remarking on how sweet it was of Tony to spend so much time with his daughter, that Darcy started to recall all of the outings that they'd had. Ball games. AC/DC concerts. Lunch. Dinner. A play (because she'd been interested in seeing Carmen). Spending time trolling the net trying to find new songs to download to her iPod (that Coulson had finally given back thanks to Tony's demands).

Darcy frowned and clutched her stuffed frog that Tony had won at the fair for her, to her stomach. Two months. It had been two months since that charity event and he still pretended that she was his daughter. He still treated her like she was important. Why? Why did she feel so comfortable with him?

—X—

"Why do you call him 'Tony'?" Steve asked her out of the blue.

Darcy cursed as her fingers slipped on the Wii remote making her car crash into Mario and Peach. "What?" she demanded, annoyed that she'd been interrupted. For the first time in weeks she'd been beating Clint, and Steve had just made her lose her lead.

"If Tony is your dad, why do you still call him 'Tony'?" Clint repeated.

Darcy scowled at him and shot a red turtle shell at his car. "Because it's safer that way," she replied without even really thinking about it. Darcy briefly wondered if she should be worried about how quickly and how deeply she had helped this rumor settle. She knew that she wasn't Tony's daughter, but she wanted to be.

Her fingers went slack. She wanted to? Was she delusional? It was just a joke. A prank right? But then, why would he spend so time with her? Why would he let her cry on his shoulder when she was frustrated, or just listen to her rant when Clint pissed her off too much? Or even the times when he'd make sure she ate and went to bed at a decent hour.

Maybe he wasn't pretending. Darcy's heart thumped hard in her chest, as her stomach performed back-flips and probably the splits knowing her luck. What if he'd been serious that night? Sure, she'd been surprised, but Darcy hadn't been disgusted. She'd known Tony for a year by that point and she'd been so used to his pranks and PR stunts that she'd thought he'd been joking.

Darcy thought back to that night, ignoring Clint's taunts that he was going to beat her and his crow of victory when he won. Tony had never played it off as a joke. She sank back into the couch in shock.

"_Anytime, kiddo, anytime."_

Tears spilled down her cheeks. He'd been serious. He wanted her. She had a dad that actually wanted her. Darcy tried to wipe the tears away, but they just came faster. She wouldn't be alone anymore. She'd finally have someone who loved her, and cared for her. Why couldn't Darcy have seen it earlier? How much had she hurt him when she'd called him Tony?

"Hey, Darcy, Darcy, don't cry. Please! Please don't cry. Tony will kick my butt if you cry and then he'll break my bow, or set Natasha on me. I'm sorry for beating you at MarioKart. I promise I'll lose next time—"

"Shut up!" she ordered. "I don't care if you win at MarioKart. I'm not that pathetic, and if you suggest that I'm crying because I lost a stupid children's video game I'll sic Natasha on you myself!" Darcy nodded in satisfaction when Clint winced and nodded.

"Darcy?" Steve asked hesitantly.

Darcy ignored her wet face and eyes and looked at him. "It was safer because if people knew I was his daughter"— she swallowed around a new lump of emotions that had taken up residence in her already sore throat—"they would have kidnapped me to get to him. We couldn't take that chance." She smiled shakily at the thought. "He's my most important person, and I don't want to hurt him."

Steve smiled at her and dropped the subject.

"Hey, who died?" Tony asked, as he walked into the room. He stopped when he noticed the tear tracks and red eyes. His glare zipped over to Clint who shrunk in his chair as far as he could. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Clint protested, trying to make sure he'd live to see another day.

Tony stalked forward at the false answer. "Darcy was crying. And you and Cap are the only two people in this room, and Cap isn't stupid enough to make Darcy cry because of what he knows I'll do to him. So, I'll ask you one last time. What did you do to Darcy?"

Darcy wondered if she should intervene because truthfully it hadn't been Clint's fault, but she loved the warmth that followed the thought of Tony protecting her, that and Clint totally deserved being yelled at because he'd cheated. Clint knew she hadn't been driving her car and he'd still continued the race. So yeah… cheater. It didn't matter if she'd been having an epiphany at the time. He still should have stopped.

"IbeatheratMarioKart," Clint blurted out.

Tony took a second to decipher the jumbled sentence before smirking. "Riiight. The girl who tasered Thor cried because she lost a video game. Try again, Legolas."

Darcy decided it was finally time to step in before things went downhill. Tony was very determined when he wanted to know something. "It's fine, Dad. It wasn't his fault."

Tony stopped chasing Clint, who had climbed into the ductwork. He gave her a cautious smile. "Are you sure, kiddo?"

She nodded. "So totally not his fault. And even if it was… I'd just taser him, or set Natasha on him. She likes me."

Tony plopped on the couch next to Darcy, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He kissed the top of her head. "That's my girl."

Darcy silently cursed her leaky eyes and laid her head on his shoulder, snuggling into his embrace. She inhaled his cologne and smiled at the scent of home. "Yeah, yeah I am."


End file.
